14 DAY TRIAL // Google has started to roll out what has been dubbed Street View for interiors. Images from inside businesses are now available on Google Place pages in the US, Australia and Japan.
Google has been shooting the interiors of businesses that have opted to be included in the program and is now publishing the high-resolution shots.
The images vary depending on the type of business and what the owners wanted to showcase but the shots taken have started to become available online.
"Starting today, the images we’ve taken as part of the pilot can be viewed on the Place pages of participating businesses," Gadi Royz, Product Manager at Google, announced. Incidentally, he is the former CEO of Quiksee, an Israeli startup Google acquired earlier this year.
"Users and potential customers who look online for local businesses can now see more high-quality photos that give them a sense of what a place is really like," he added.
"The photos may include the storefront, decor, layout, merchandise, food, signage about hours and accepted payment types, and other items that help people learn more about a business and decide if they want to go there," he explained.
Google started to experiment with the idea earlier this year, though the company's intentions were not obvious from the get-go.
The first batch of images is now live, but Google is continuing to visit businesses for the program and is asking those interested to make a request.
Companies can also upload their own images to the Place pages if Google hasn't launched the program in their hometowns or countries.
Google has been increasingly focused on Place pages as a tool to conquer the very lucrative local businesses market. The ad money small companies can provide is a big lure for Google and it is already working to monetize Places, for example with the recently launched Google Boost tool.